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August 11, 2000/10 Av 5760, Vol. 52, No.48
Adonai is our Elohim
Torah Study
RABBI EDWIN C. GOLDBERG
Va-etchanan/Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11
"Hear, O Israel! Adonai is our God, Adonai is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4) The precise meaning of these words - which are found in this week's Torah portion, Va-etchanan, and are collectively known as the Sh'ma - has been debated for centuries.
The words are, of course, cited as a call for monotheism, but even this interpretation is not without its critics. Some translate the Sh'ma as "Hear, O Israel! Adonai is our God, Adonai alone," as if to indicate the existence of other gods but at the same time proclaim their irrelevance.
I believe the most important interpretation of the Sh'ma centers on the two names for God that appear in the text - Adonai and Elohim.
On its most simple level, the Sh'ma declares that Adonai and Elohim are the same God. This information is important because traditionally, Adonai and Elohim reflect very different characteristics of God: Adonai refers to God's merciful, compassionate side, and Elohim indicates God's stern, judgmental aspect.
By saying that we believe our God possesses both characteristics, we proclaim that all things that happen in the universe originate with God.
In his book titled "For Those Who Can't Believe," Rabbi Harold Schulweis addresses the two portraits of God rendered in the Sh'ma. According to Schulweis, Elohim stands for the way things are. Elohim is in the law of gravity: If you let go of an apple, it will drop because the law of gravity works that way. If an earthquake occurs, buildings may be destroyed because that's how the laws of physics operate. Likewise, if you break a law, punishment will probably follow.
Adonai, on the other hand, stands not for what is but for what ought to be.
Elohim prescribes punishment, while Adonai teaches transformation. Elohim creates the world and all its dangers. Adonai inspires human beings to overcome those dangers. Elohim brings an earthquake or a hurricane. Adonai brings rescuers who risk their lives to save the victims and give their own possessions to help the unfortunate cope. Elohim is about facts, while Adonai is about faith.
We know that there is a natural cause and effect in the world: Smoking can lead to lung cancer. Two automobiles can't inhabit the same space at the same time without some consequence. And moral delinquency affects the innocent as well as the guilty.
Therefore, the characteristics inherent in Elohim do reflect reality.
But where would we be without the qualities of Adonai, motivating us to work and hope for a better world? Where would we be without Adonai's compassion, inspiring us to care for people who can never repay us? Where would we be without the belief that our lives matter largely because of the examples we set for others? Where would we be without the faith that after we're gone, our love and kindness will continue?
Regarding the fact that millions of people in our country have no health care, Elohim might say: "If people work, then they deserve a doctor's care. If they don't, then it's their fault."
On the other hand, Adonai might say: "We have to take care of the poor and the needy, despite the drain on our society."
Regarding illegal immigrants who flock to our state, Elohim might say: "If people are not here legally, then they have no right to our services."
But Adonai might remind us: "Take care of the stranger, for we were strangers in the land of Egypt."
Both views of God are necessary. We need to be reminded of nature's power, the law of consequences, and the omnipotence of our Creator. But we also need the hope and inspiration of Adonai: We need to possess the vision of a compassionate society, the dream of peace and healing, and the hope of a world that gives us second chances and free-flowing forgiveness.
In short, we need to be aware of both what reality is and what reality should be. The Sh'ma reminds us to look beyond the laws of the universe for the beating heart within.
Edwin C. Goldberg is the senior rabbi of Temple Judea in Coral Gables, Fla.
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